- A Gala Christmas in Vienna : the album description, tracks, reviews, ...

A Gala Christmas in Vienna

A Gala Christmas in Vienna Tracks

1. Christmas Prologue

2. Deck the Halls

3. Closing of the Year

4. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle

5. Walking in Air

6. Adeste Fideles

7. Away in a Manger

8. Old Fashioned Christmas

9. First of May

10. Re Gesu

11. Frohliche Weihnacht

12. Cantemos Rapaces

13. Christmas Is Here Again

14. Child In a Manger

15. Angels From the Realms of Glory

16. Another Christmas Song

17. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

18. Happy Christmas

19. Silent Night

20. First of May [*]

A Gala Christmas in Vienna Review

You don't hear many live Christmas records, but then it's seldom you get as many operatic powerhouses under one Austrian town-hall roof with a full orchestra and large children's choir. Placido Domingo (who dominates the proceedings with his commanding tenor), Britain's own Sarah Brightman, Belgian Helmut Lotti, and Italy's Richard Cocciante raise the roof on this international gala recording from 1997 under the skilled baton of Steven Mercurio and choir master Elizabeth Ziegler. Chief among the performances during this black-tie event are the Domingo-Cocciante duet of "Walking in the Air," Brightman's chilling "First of May," (the Bee Gees song) and a strange medley of European-American songs, traditional and pop, ranging from Roger Whittaker and John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson and a handful of traditional Welsh, German, and Spanish works, plus that Yank standard "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." For button-down audiences only who still can appreciate pop songs in expanded and exploded arrangements. --Martin Keller

Users's Reviews

Feel free to add your comments about A Gala Christmas in Vienna

Helmut Lotti and others sing for Christmas

I am a great fan of Helmut Lotti. This particular recording is one my husband I already own and enjoy. We purchased this one for our adult daughter. Each of the performers on this disk are first rate and the recording as a whole is well worth adding to one's holiday pleasures.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2005-09-24

I 'm not impressed with the CD!

Hey there...Just in time for Christmas!

I have this cd, but only like it because of little things. One of those little things is Riccardo Cocciante and Sarah Brightman signing "Child in a manger". Another little thing I like is the two versions of "First of May" by Sarah. One is live, and the other is a bonus track done in the studio. And, the third thing I like is the fact that Sarah Brightman and Placido Domingo are together on the same stage.

There's a lot that I don't like about this Christmas concert from Vienna. For one thing, there is too much choral background from the children's choir, and we don't hear enough of Sarah, Domingo or Cocciante alone. I agree with a fellow reviewer, that the cd would have been perfect if it was just Sarah Brightman and Placido Domingo alone. Sarah's voice IS angelic, and could be recognized as appropriate for many if not all the Christmas songs in the concert repertoire. Helmut Lotti's performance, as well as Cocciante's could have been done without.

I, as a really big fan of Sarah, felt that she got the bum's rush that night. And, what about that children's choir? Just their choir name is annoying enough. "Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen", am I right?
They drowned out the artists.

Back to other stuff I like. The cd cover is fine. Nice artwork, and writups inside, about each artist. A little bit short for Brightman's though!

I am a classical music buff, especially when for Christmas music. It's too bad they didn't make this a double, with solos on one, and ensembles on the other. I have seen and heard Sarah singing "O holy night" elsewhere, and they should have included that in the repertoire that night.

So, to all of you who are planning on getting this for Christmas, or anytime after that, You better listen to it first. Take the litmus test to see if you like it before buying it and only ending up with an alleged dust-collector.

Hope my review helped you.

Posted by Anonymous, on 2002-10-13

Christmas in Vienna V

Hi there

I read the rates here an I would like to explain something for all those who don't seem to know.

As I can see the album is beeing sold here as 'A Gala Christmas in Vienna'. But the original title of the CD is 'Christmas in Vienna V'. In Europe, Christmas in Vienna is a well known christmas concert which has been performed and shown on TV here 7 times since 1992, with Plácido Domingo as host and some guest stars every time, such as Diana Ross, Patricia Kaas, Dionne Warwick, José Carreras, Michael Bolton, Vanessa Williams and so on, and it is a cult for every christmas fan.

So by now there are seven albums, and this one here was the fifth, and in my opinion, by now the best volume.

Anyway, any wishes of having just Sarah and Placido on the CD or to have a double CD with studio versions and so an are completly irrelevant. It could not have been made in any other way since it is a live recording of the concert.

All in all, I love especially this edition of the series, and I really recommend this album.

Have a wonderful christmas time!

Posted by Anonymous, on 2002-12-23

MUSIC CITY : The first collaborative Music Database